For 20 hours, a cruise passenger was alone in the Ionian Sea, miles from land. Then, in the darkness, rescuers spotted a flashing light. What followed was captured on video.
The 44-year-old woman, an El Salvadoran national, went overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas on Friday, October 9, while the ship was approximately 72 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos, Greece.
According to the Hellenic Coast Guard, authorities immediately activated an emergency response involving a rescue boat, a patrol vessel, passing ships, and a Greek Air Force Super Puma helicopter. See the footage of the rescue here.
But as daylight faded, there was still no sign of the missing passenger.
Then came an extraordinary discovery.
Early Saturday morning, crew aboard the cargo ship MSC Rossella III spotted the woman, conscious and floating inside a circular life preserver. According to the Coast Guard’s official statement, searchers first detected the flashing light attached to the life ring.
In dramatic rescue footage released by authorities, a spotlight illuminates the woman bobbing in the black water.
“Are you okay?” someone shouts, according to PEOPLE, as a rope is tossed toward her. The woman reaches for it as rescuers approach.
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A Coast Guard rescue vessel ultimately pulled her from the sea and administered first aid, the official report says. She was brought to the port of Katakolo, then transported by ambulance to a hospital in Pyrgos for observation and medical tests.
And somehow, after roughly 20 hours adrift, she was alive.
Reportedly, and understandably, the woman was:
“Conscious and in a state of hypothermia and exhaustion.”
What led to the incident remains under investigation. The Coast Guard’s written report does not explain how she entered the water, although a spokesperson later told AFP that the woman said she jumped because “she wanted to disembark.”
Royal Caribbean confirmed the incident and said its crew launched a search. “Our Care Team is actively providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time,” the company told USA Today, according to PEOPLE.
The Katakolo Port Authority is investigating.
For now, authorities are hailing it as a maritime miracle.
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